Screening and diagnosis - Mayo clinic
Screening and diagnosis Parents of children with type 1 diabetes typically find out about the disease when signs and symptoms, such as fatigue, thirst, frequent urination and weight loss, become too severe to overlook. Older children and adults who develop type 1 diabetes may notice the signs and symptoms earlier than do small children, who can quickly become very ill and lose consciousness from the effects of high blood sugar. In these instances, doctors take steps to normalize vital signs and blood glucose before further -*test*-('")ing to confirm the presence of type 1 diabetes. Any time signs, symptoms and physical examination suggest type 1 diabetes, blood glucose -*test*-('")ing is an essential step. Simple blood -*test*-('")s can rule out diabetes quite reliably. But in the absence of severe diabetes signs and symptoms, a screening -*test*-('") may find that your or your child's blood sugar is higher than normal. When that happens, further -*test*-('")ing is necessary to diagnose type 1 diabetes. From general to specific, blood -*test*-('")s for diabetes include: * Random blood sugar -*test*-('"). This -*test*-('") is part of the blood work routinely performed as part of a physical exam. It involves having blood drawn from a vein in your arm. If you have eaten just before this -*test*-('"), your blood sugar may be high. Even so, it shouldn't be higher than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). If it is, you have diabetes. * Fasting blood glucose -*test*-('"). In general, your blood sugar is highest right after you eat and lowest after an overnight fast. That's why the preferred way to -*test*-('") your blood sugar is to take a blood sample from a vein in your arm after you've fasted overnight or for at least eight hours. If your fasting blood sugar measures 126 mg/dL or higher, your doctor may repeat the -*test*-('"). If the results of the second -*test*-('") are the same, you likely will receive a diagnosis of diabetes. After you've received a diagnosis of diabetes, your doctor may order another blood -*test*-('") to measure your average blood glucose level for the previous two to three months. The -*test*-('"), known as a glycated hemoglobin or hemoglobin A1C -*test*-('"), measures the amount of blood sugar attached to hemoglobin molecules — the iron-rich molecules in red blood cells that deliver oxygen to your body. The higher your blood sugar levels, the more hemoglobin molecules you will have with sugar attached. In general, the life cycle of a red blood cell is 75 to 90 days, which is why the A1C -*test*-('") shows your average blood glucose levels for the past two to three months. Although normal laboratory ranges for hemoglobin A1C vary, your doctor will desire levels less than 7 percent. Regular hemoglobin A1C -*test*-('")ing is vital to long-term diabetes management. More than repeated daily blood sugar -*test*-('")s do, hemoglobin A1C indicates how well your treatment plan is working. Elevated hemoglobin A1C may mean you need to adjust your insulin regimen or meal plan — possibly because you haven't learned to fine-tune your eating habits, or perhaps because you should be taking more insulin.
Screening and diagnosis Parents of children with type 1 diabetes typically find out about the disease when signs and symptoms, such as fatigue, thirst, frequent urination and weight loss, become too severe to overlook. Older children and adults who develop type 1 diabetes may notice the signs and symptoms earlier than do small children, who can quickly become very ill and lose consciousness from the effects of high blood sugar. In these instances, doctors take steps to normalize vital signs and blood glucose before further -*test*-('")ing to confirm the presence of type 1 diabetes. Any time signs, symptoms and physical examination suggest type 1 diabetes, blood glucose -*test*-('")ing is an essential step. Simple blood -*test*-('")s can rule out diabetes quite reliably. But in the absence of severe diabetes signs and symptoms, a screening -*test*-('") may find that your or your child's blood sugar is higher than normal. When that happens, further -*test*-('")ing is necessary to diagnose type 1 diabetes. From general to specific, blood -*test*-('")s for diabetes include: * Random blood sugar -*test*-('"). This -*test*-('") is part of the blood work routinely performed as part of a physical exam. It involves having blood drawn from a vein in your arm. If you have eaten just before this -*test*-('"), your blood sugar may be high. Even so, it shouldn't be higher than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). If it is, you have diabetes. * Fasting blood glucose -*test*-('"). In general, your blood sugar is highest right after you eat and lowest after an overnight fast. That's why the preferred way to -*test*-('") your blood sugar is to take a blood sample from a vein in your arm after you've fasted overnight or for at least eight hours. If your fasting blood sugar measures 126 mg/dL or higher, your doctor may repeat the -*test*-('"). If the results of the second -*test*-('") are the same, you likely will receive a diagnosis of diabetes. After you've received a diagnosis of diabetes, your doctor may order another blood -*test*-('") to measure your average blood glucose level for the previous two to three months. The -*test*-('"), known as a glycated hemoglobin or hemoglobin A1C -*test*-('"), measures the amount of blood sugar attached to hemoglobin molecules — the iron-rich molecules in red blood cells that deliver oxygen to your body. The higher your blood sugar levels, the more hemoglobin molecules you will have with sugar attached. In general, the life cycle of a red blood cell is 75 to 90 days, which is why the A1C -*test*-('") shows your average blood glucose levels for the past two to three months. Although normal laboratory ranges for hemoglobin A1C vary, your doctor will desire levels less than 7 percent. Regular hemoglobin A1C -*test*-('")ing is vital to long-term diabetes management. More than repeated daily blood sugar -*test*-('")s do, hemoglobin A1C indicates how well your treatment plan is working. Elevated hemoglobin A1C may mean you need to adjust your insulin regimen or meal plan — possibly because you haven't learned to fine-tune your eating habits, or perhaps because you should be taking more insulin.